Kenora police recovered the body of a Winnipeg man from the waters of Lake of the Woods on Sunday evening.

The OPP's Marine and Trails unit were dispatched to Bigelow Island in the Clearwater Bay area after Christopher Silman, 29, of Winnipeg was reported missing after going swimming.

According to the OPP, Silman and several of his friends were swimming with a large inflatable raft at about 9 p.m. The police report says that Silman decided to swim to shore and was doing the backstroke until he was about 20 feet away from the dock on Bigelow Island when he dove underwater and didn't resurface.

"He dove underwater backwards and they didn't think there was anything suspicious and it didn't look like he was struggling or anything. They were just standing on the raft waiting for him to resurface," explained Sgt. Rob McDonough from the OPP.

"Then 20 to 30 seconds go by and they think he's just kidding around and they sit there and another 30 seconds go by and they realize something is wrong. But they didn't even see any bubbles come up."

Three of Silman's friends began looking for him in the murky 20- to 30-foot-deep water to no avail. They then returned to their cabin on the island to call 911.

Divers with the Underwater Search and Rescue Unit recovered Silman's body the next day at about 5 p.m. near the area where he was last seen. What prevented him from returning to the surface of the water is not known.

"There was nothing out of the ordinary. The OPP interviewed nine people and there was no alcohol involved or anything, everyone was sober. It's just unknown," said McDonough.

A post mortem examination conducted Monday, July 7 may reveal more answers into the cause of death.

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Friends watched Winnipeg man go under water, never to resurface

Kenora police recovered the body of a Winnipeg man from the waters of Lake of the Woods on Sunday evening.

The OPP's Marine and Trails unit were dispatched to Bigelow Island in the Clearwater Bay area after Christopher Silman, 29, of Winnipeg was reported missing after going swimming.

According to the OPP, Silman and several of his friends were swimming with a large inflatable raft at about 9 p.m. The police report says that Silman decided to swim to shore and was doing the backstroke until he was about 20 feet away from the dock on Bigelow Island when he dove underwater and didn't resurface.

"He dove underwater backwards and they didn't think there was anything suspicious and it didn't look like he was struggling or anything. They were just standing on the raft waiting for him to resurface," explained Sgt. Rob McDonough from the OPP.

"Then 20 to 30 seconds go by and they think he's just kidding around and they sit there and another 30 seconds go by and they